Anthurium clarinervium 55 cm

Anthurium clarinervium care: Light needs
The Anthurium clarinervium is sometimes recommended for lower light, but actually they need medium to bright indirect lighting to grow well and prevent them from getting legged. Read this to get a better idea of ​​how bright this really is.

The leaves will scorch in direct sun, but otherwise the plant will do well indoors in almost any light spot you can give it. Filtered, diffused sunlight is the goal.

An eastern exposure is generally ideal. They tolerate soft early sun and appreciate the long hours of bright indirect light that follow.
A bright northern lighting can also work, but be prepared to up the lumens if you see leg formation or slow growth.
On west-facing windows work well as long as the plant is not exposed to intense late afternoon sun. Depending on your latitude, you may need to move the plant a few feet away from the window, provide curtains, or give it some other protection.
A southern exposure may be too intense for an Anthurium clarinervium to sit close to the window, but indoors the light dims quickly. Moving the plant back three to five feet will usually make the necessary difference.
Note that your Anthurium clarinervium slows its growth in winter and needs less light.

Watering
Anthurium clarinervium should never dry out completely, but they cannot tolerate wet soil either. It is better to tend to too little soil moisture than too much. The plant's native rocky substrate does not hold water: never leave it standing in a puddle.

Wait until the top inch or two of the soil has dried before watering again. If the soil quality is good, this means watering about once a week, but don't rely on a planned routine: keep an eye on the soil.

Soaking the soil thoroughly every time you water will ensure that the entire root ball is saturated and flushes out any residual toxins. Feeding them in smaller and more frequent amounts will leave the top of the soil too moist - encouraging mosquitoes - while potentially flooding the root ball.

Make sure to empty the cache pot when the soil is ready is leaking. No peeing! Proper watering is the most important aspect of Anthurium clarinervium care to do right. Read this article for more tips on assessing your houseplant's water needs.

Frequency factors
Weekly watering is a common norm, but there are several conditions that affect frequency :

Humidity - The soil tends to dry out faster in low humidity and watering becomes even more critical.
Temperature - You will need to water more often in hot weather as the plant grows and soil evaporation is high.
Container material - Soil in an unglazed terracotta pot dries faster. A plastic container will hold the water the longest, or you can go to the other extreme with a mesh basket that maximizes the roots' contact with the air.
Season - Allow the soil to dry out a bit more in the cool months.

Another important point for your Anthurium clarinervium is the quality of the water; they may struggle with hard, highly mineralized water. They like rainwater, but distilled or other purified water is fine too. If you get moderate growth with plain tap water, upgrading the source can make a big difference. Read my article about using different types of water for your houseplants.

Anthurium Clarinervium Soil Requirements
Choosing the right soil is an essential part of Anthurium clarinervium care. The roots want constant access to oxygen without drying out and are prone to rot if the mix remains too moist. A loose, crumbly mix is ​​better than a finer gradient: the medium should be open enough to allow the roots to breathe, even after a good soak.

A retail potting soil won't give you enough structure out of the bag . The closest suitable pre-made soil is Orchid mix, but the plant also likes some organic matter and water retention material. It is best to make your own.

The plant prefers a mildly acidic range between about 5.5 pH and 6.5 pH, which means it is generally safe to use organic additives such as adding peat or bark...even though these tend to acidify the medium as they decay.

A good quality commercial potting mix is ​​a good base to start from, but you should make additional additions to improve aeration and drainage. Here are some elements you can use:

Long fiber sphagnum moss (cut)
Coconut coir
Perlite
Pumic stone
Orchid bark or wood chips
Quality leaf soil or compost
Gravel
Charcoal (Aquarium charcoal works fine)
Coarse sand
Broken lava rock
Here are some recipes:

Add together a third each of peat moss or coconut granules, orchid mix, and perlite.
Start with a quality potting soil as half of the mixture, with a quarter of each peat moss and orchid medium containing bark or wood chips, gravel, and optionally charcoal. Add about 10% perlite.
To mimic the plant's natural habitat, some growers start with a base of gravel, lava rock, or pumice and add organic elements such as potting soil, peat, and/or orchid mix.
Some growers use peat moss directly, but there are a few caveats. It can be difficult to re-moisten peat if it gets too dry, but perpetually moist peat can attract ground gnats. You will also have to pay more attention to the nutrition.

Eye the proportions: exact measurements are not necessary. You can add a small amount of compost to any recipe. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Anthurium clarinervium foliage
New leaves of Anthurium clarinervium are yellow-brown initially, before turning dark green when mature

High humidity is needed
High humidity is another important aspect of Anthurium clarinervium care. It's a botanical mystery why so many steam rainforest tropicals have a greater tolerance for low humidity than this particular rock dweller; but, if you can't provide humidity above 50%, the Clarinervium could break your heart. Slow.

60% humidity is generally fine. You can go higher, but that could mean mold on the walls. (The plant would love it, though.) A small specimen can do well in a terrarium.

How to meet the humidity challenge
Your Anthurium clarinervium, in the right soil, will be easy to maintain in a high humidity environment.If your home has average humidity - like most of us - there are a few ways to crank up the humidity.

Group plants - Putting plants together will increase their humidity by a few points. Just don't put them too close together.

Water trays - Water-filled trays placed near your plant also increase the local humidity by a small percentage. To save space, place pebbles in the tray and place the plant's tray on top above the waterline.

Room Humidifier - The best we can say about using a humidifier is that it works. Even if you live in an arid climate, you can definitely create the right environment for your Clarinervium. The downside is cost and constant refilling, checking, and maintenance.

Warm temperatures
Anthurium clarinervium needs warm temperatures, but that's easy indoors. They do best from about 20ºC to 27ºC. They prefer the warm end of the range during the day and a slight coolness at night.
Avoid extremes and rapid temperature changes. When the temperature rises above 32ºC, you will start to see faded, dry leaves.

How to fertilize Anthurium clarinervium
Wild Anthurium clarinerviums live their beautiful existence on thin soil in rocky rocks : they are not heavy eaters. Fertilize sparingly so as not to stress the plant.

Feed from early spring to early fall before the cool weather sets in.

A balanced formula such as an NPK ratio of 20-20 -20 is suitable. I prefer to use this fertilizer for many of my houseplants. You can use synthetic or organic fertilizers; synthetic blends are more cost effective and allow for more precise application, but organic fertilizers are less likely to cause root burn and have the side effect of nourishing the soil's microbial ecosystem.

A popular regimen is to apply every four to give a half or quarter dilution of the recommended amount of fertilizer for six weeks. Read my guide to fertilizing houseplants to make sure you're providing all the nutrients your plant needs.

Reminder: Leftover fertilizer can build up and gradually poison the soil, so it's a good idea to flush the soil by running extra water at each watering. If this is inconvenient, do a thorough flush every two or three months.